Based on analysis of multiple outside rankings, Paulsen is an average Republican member of Congress, meaning he will vote with the Republican Party on the majority of bills.

Biography

Paulsen was born in 1965 in Bakersfield, California. After graduating from public high school in Chaska, Minnesota, he went on to earn his B.A. at St. Olaf College in 1987. Prior to his political career, Paulsen worked as a businessman.[2]

2011-2012

Issues

Legislative actions

113th Congress

The second session of the 113th Congress enacted into law 114 out of the 3,036 introduced bills (3.8 percent). Comparatively, the 112th Congress had 4.2 percent of introduced bills enacted into law in the second session.[5] For more information pertaining to Paulsen's voting record in the 113th Congress, please see the below sections.[6]

National security

NDAA

Paulsen voted in support of HR 1960 - the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014. The bill passed the House on June 14, 2013, with a vote of 315 - 108. Both parties were somewhat divided on the vote.[7]

DHS Appropriations

Paulsen voted in support of HR 2217 - the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2014. The bill passed the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 245 - 182 and was largely along party lines.[7]

Keystone Pipeline Amendment

Paulsen voted in opposition of House Amendment 69, which would have amended HR 3 to "require that the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security, conduct a study of the vulnerabilities of the Keystone XL pipeline to a terrorist attack and certify that necessary protections have been put in place." The amendment failed on May 22, 2013, with a vote of 176 - 239 and was largely along party lines.[7]

CISPA (2013)

Paulsen voted in support of HR 624 - the CISPA (2013). The bill passed the House on April 18, 2013, with a vote of 288 - 127. The bill would allow federal intelligence agencies to share cybersecurity intelligence and information with private entities and utilities.[8] The bill was largely supported by Republicans, but divided the Democratic Party.[7]

Government shutdown

On September 30, 2013, the House passed a final stopgap spending bill before the shutdown went into effect. The bill included a one-year delay of the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate and would have also stripped the bill of federal subsidies for congressional members and staff. It passed through the House with a vote of 228-201.[11] At 1 a.m. on October 1, 2013, one hour after the shutdown officially began, the House voted to move forward with going to a conference. In short order, Sen. Harry Reid rejected the call to conference.[12] Paulsen voted to approve the stopgap spending bill that would have delayed the individual mandate.[13]

The shutdown finally ended on October 16, 2013, when the House took a vote on HR 2775 after it was approved by the Senate. The bill to reopen the government lifted the $16.7 trillion debt limit and funds the government through January 15, 2014. Federal employees also received retroactive pay for the shutdown period. The only concession made by Senate Democrats was to require income verification for Obamacare subsidies.[14] The House passed the legislation shortly after the Senate, by a vote of 285-144, with all 144 votes against the legislation coming from Republican members. Paulsen voted for HR 2775.[15]

Immigration

Morton Memos Prohibition

Paulsen supported House Amendment 136 - Prohibits the Enforcement of the Immigration Executive Order. The amendment was adopted by the House on June 6, 2013, with a vote of 224 - 201. The purpose of the amendment as stated on the official text is to "prohibit the use of funds to finalize, implement, administer, or enforce the Morton Memos." These memos would have granted administrative amnesty to certain illegal aliens residing in the United States.[16] The vote largely followed party lines.[17]

Healthcare

Repealing Obamacare

Paulsen has supported all attempts to repeal or delay the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.[18]

Social issues

Violence Against Women Act

Paulsen voted to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act which provides aid to prosecute cases of violent acts against women and men.[19]

Abortion

Paulsen supported HR 1797 - Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act. The resolution passed the House on June 18, 2013, with a vote of 228 - 196. The purpose of the bill is to ban abortions that would take place 20 or more weeks after fertilization.[20]

Previous congressional sessions

Fiscal Cliff

Paulsen voted against the fiscal cliff compromise bill, which made permanent most of the Bush tax cuts originally passed in 2001 and 2003 while also raising tax rates on the highest income levels. He was 1 of 151 Republicans that voted against the bill. The bill was passed in the House by a 257-167 vote on January 1, 2013.[21]

National security

Paulsen voted in favor of extending the PATRIOT Act's roving wiretaps in 2011.[22]

Foreign policy

Removal of troops from Afghanistan

Paulsen opposed a resolution to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan.[23]

American involvement in Libya

Paulsen supported a ban on using armed forces in Libya without Congressional approval in 2011.[23]

Endorsements

Paulsen was endorsed by the organizations and individuals below for the 2012 election:[29]

Minnesota Farm Bureau

Fraternal Order of Police

Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association

Minneapolis Federation of Police

TwinWest Chamber of Commerce

United States Chamber of Commerce

National Federation of Independent Business SAFE Trust

Full history

To view the full congressional electoral history for Erik Paulsen, click [show] to expand the section.

2010

On November 2, 2010, Erik Paulsen (R) won re-election to the United States House. He defeated Jim Meffert (D) and Jon Oleson (Independence) in the general election.[30]

U.S. House, Minnesota District 3 General Election, 2010

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Erik Paulsenincumbent

58.8%

161,177

Democratic

Jim Meffert

36.6%

100,240

Independence

Jon Oleson

4.6%

12,508

N/A

Write-in

0.1%

167

Total Votes

274,092

2008

On November 4, 2008, Erik Paulsen (R) won election to the United States House. He defeated Ashwin Madia (D), David Dillon (Independence) and Harley Swarm, Jr. (Write-in) in the general election.[31]

U.S. House, Minnesota District 3 General Election, 2008

Party

Candidate

Vote %

Votes

Republican

Erik Paulsen

48.5%

178,932

Democratic

Ashwin Madia

40.9%

150,787

Independence

David Dillon

10.6%

38,970

Write-in

Harley Swarm, Jr.

0%

9

N/A

Write-in

0.1%

406

Total Votes

369,104

Campaign donors

Comprehensive donor information for Paulsen is available dating back to 2008. Based on available campaign finance records, Paulsen raised a total of $8,584,178 during that time period. This information was last updated on May 16, 2013.[32]

Lifetime voting record

According to the website GovTrack, Paulsen missed 39 of 3,353 roll call votes from Jan 2009 to Apr 2013, which is 1.2% of votes during that period. This is better than the median of 2.2% among the lifetime records of representatives currently serving.[43]

Congressional Staff Salaries

The website Legistorm compiles staff salary information for members of Congress. Paulsen paid his congressional staff a total of $899,145 in 2011. Overall, Minnesota ranked 26th in average salary for representative staff. The average U.S. House of Representatives congressional staff was paid $954,912.20 in fiscal year 2011.[44]

Net worth

Based on congressional financial disclosure forms and calculations made available by OpenSecrets.org, Paulsen's net worth as of 2012 was estimated between $250,030 and $879,000. That averages to $564,515, which is lower than the average net worth of Republican representatives in 2012 of $7,614,097.96. Paulsen ranked as the 258th most wealthy representative in 2012.[45]

Erik Paulsen Yearly Net Worth

Year

Avg. Net Worth

% Difference from previous year

2012

$564,515.00

13.92%

2011

$495,516.00

1.75%

2010

$487,017.00

N/A

National Journal vote ratings

Each year, National Journal publishes an analysis of how liberally or conservatively each member of Congress voted, as compared to other members, in the previous year. More information about the analysis process can be found on the vote ratings page.

2012

According to the data released in 2013, Paulsen was ranked the 110th most conservative representative during 2012.[46]

2011

According to the data released in 2012, Paulsen was ranked the 107th most conservative representative during 2011.[47]

Voting with party

2013

Erik Paulsen voted with the Republican Party 97.8% of the time, which ranked 30th among the 234 House Republican members as of June 2013.[48]

Personal

Paulsen lives in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, with his wife, Kelly, and their four daughters.[49]

Recent news

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